International Yoga Festival Rishikesh

India is the land of Yoga and it has been practiced in the country since ages and within India the hub of Yoga is the town of Rishikesh situated at the banks of river Ganges in the foothills of the Himalayas. This 5000 year old physical and mental and spiritual practice of transforming the body and mind is an invaluable gift of India to the entire world. It is an exercise to increase the harmony between the man and the nature. The art of yoga has now become popular all over the world with the rise of awareness about the health benefits of yoga and this growing awareness has led popularity of Yoga all over the world.

The holy town of Rishikesh is the place where the worldâ€™s best and most popular Yoga ashrams and gurus can be found. Sponsored and organized by the state government the Yoga festival is organized in the month of March every year usually with the first of March and continues for seven days.

This seven day Yoga program will conduct various preaching sessions from the global yoga experts and will host a variety of competitions, consultations and programs for overall awareness of Yoga and a healthy body and mind. The daily schedule includes Yogic healing sessions, cultural activities and yoga lesions from the masters and a number of celebrities are also invited for the same.

Origin of International Yoga Festival in Rishikesh

The International Yoga Festival in Rishikesh was originally promoted by Uttar Pradesh Tourism, when Uttarakhand State was not formed. It was held at Hotel Ganga Kinare in the first week of February, the Festival ran for many years.

In 1999, the Government of Uttar Pradesh approached Parmarth Niketan Ashram to host the Festival at their ashram. Participants were still staying at other hotels, but their classes and programs were held at Parmarth.

Yoga Festival Dates: 1 to 7 March 2017

Many Ashrams, Yoga Retreats and Resorts conduct their own Yoga International week in Rishikesh. Following are some of the most prominent.

Parmarth Niketan 17th International Yoga Festival

The annual 17th International Yoga Festival will be organized by Parmarth Niketan Ashram in Rishikesh, India. The International Yoga Festival is truly grounded in the authentic origin of Yoga. Practise and learn from masters from the Traditional Yoga Lineages from India, as well as masters of International well known yoga schools & styles. During this one-week Festival, you will have the opportunity to participate in over 60 hours of Yoga classes from world-class Yoga teachers practicing multiple styles of Yoga including Kundalini Yoga, Power Vinyasa Yoga, Iyengar Yoga and Kriya Yoga.

The participants will also be blessed with the presence, satsang and divine words of revered saints and spiritual masters from within India, including H.H. Pujya Shankaracharya Swami Divyanand Teerthji, H.H. Pujya Swami Chidanand Saraswatiji, and more.

Hotel Ganga Kinare International Yoga Week

Ganga Kinare - A Riverside Boutique Hotel is the oldest venue for International Yoga Festival which was first started by UP Tourism in 1989. Since 2011, the International Yoga Festival has been celebrated at multiple venues across Rishikesh from 1st - 7th March. IYW 2016 will be the 27th year of International Yoga Week at Ganga Kinare.

Ganga Kinare celebrates these festival dates as the 'International Yoga Week' for yoga enthusiasts from all over the world with a complete week long itinerary in one place where they get to spend much with renowned gurus in close proximity to enable true interaction. International Yoga Week itinerary is planned down to the last detail with the best accommodation and food arrangements and engaging daily Ganga Aarti and evening cultural programmes.

GMVN Ganga Resort International Yoga Festival

This year (2015) the festival was held at the Ganga resort (GMVN) Rishikesh. People from all over the world participate at this renowned meet which is marked by the presence of the best and the most popular Yoga teachers from around the world. This year'ss event apart from the yoga celebration and classes also witnessed the performances of the masters of Sufi music the famed Wadali brothers, an electric mix of east and the west â€˜Prem Joshua and band, a performance from dancing queen Ms. Shobha and an evening with the Rajasthani folk singing of the Kutle Khan project.

Apart from the Yoga the event also includes a number of add on activities beyond the festival itself. Some of these activities includes Rock climbing, Bungee Jumping, white water rafting, rappelling, Adventure bike rides and wild life safaris.

Registration

The interested participants can register themselves at the official website of International Yoga Festival. Please keep in mind the official website is the only place where you can register yourself and your group for International Yoga Festival 2017 at Parmarth Niketan which is the ONLY venue for the 2017 Yoga Festival.